Constitutionalism has a long history in Iran. Interest in establishing a constitutional form of government, spurred partly by the influence of Western models and partly by developments in neighboring Turkey, first appeared in the last decade of the nineteenth century. The constitutional limitation of monarchical power was the principal goal of the revolutionary movement of 1905-1909. This movement, directed chiefly by the major religious leaders of the day, brought about the capitulation of Muzaffar ud-Din Shah in the summer of 1906, and the first Majlis in Iranian history prepared a constitution, consisting of a preamble and 51 articles, which was ratified on December 30, 1906. To it were added 107 supplementary articles, ratified on October 7, 1907. The constitution was amended four times, in accordance with the dictates of the Pahlavi family, in 1925, 1949, 1957, and 1967.
1
